Senate committee recommends two artists to sculpt Elizabeth Freeman and Abigail Adams busts

The Senate Armed Committee voted to recommend artists Jordan Hines and Anne Hirsch to sculpt busts of Elizabeth Freeman and Abigail Adams, respectively, and will forward that recommendation to the full Senate for final approval. The committee approved the recommendation by roll call, with five members voting yes and one member voting no.

The chair opened the meeting by reviewing a six-criteria scoring rubric the committee used to evaluate four artists’ maquettes: artistic merit and technique; emotional impact; aesthetic quality; faithfulness to historical resources; fit for the Senate Chamber; and physical stability and permanence. Committee members reported average scores for each submission and discussed how those scores informed a recommendation.

Anne Hirsch’s maquettes received the highest average scores for Elizabeth Freeman (4.69) and were among the top scores for Abigail Adams. Reviewers praised Hirsch’s technical command and the “humanness” conveyed in the Freeman maquette, while noting some questions about age and gaze that could be refined in full-scale work. Jordan Hines’s Freeman maquette earned strong praise for proportion and an approach that departs from classical bust conventions; reviewers described it as emotionally resonant and technically accomplished. Meredith Bergman and Serena Bates also submitted maquettes; the committee noted areas for adjustment on those proposals and set them aside in favor of the two highest-scoring artists.

Discussion at the meeting focused on whether to commission one artist for both busts or to select two artists (one per subject) and on material choice. Several members said choosing two artists would both speed delivery and introduce visual variety in the chamber. Several members also favored bronze so the new works would better balance the chamber’s existing mix of marble and bronze pieces. “I think the preference from this committee is gonna be … two artists in bronze,” the chair said during the discussion.

Susan Cross moved the recommendation that Jordan Hines and Anne Hirsch be invited to sculpt the Elizabeth Freeman and Abigail Adams busts, respectively; Maggie Scott seconded the motion. In the roll-call vote that followed, Senator Payano voted no; LaMerchie Frazier, Susan Cross, Maggie Scott and Julian Cyr voted yes. The chair declared the motion passed and said the committee would bring the recommendation to the Senate.

Bianca Hoffman, associate senate counsel, outlined next steps: staff will draft a contract and the committee will meet with the selected artists to provide guidance and refinements. Hoffman also noted that, once the formal selection is made, much of the detailed work with artists can proceed outside of public posted meetings and through studio visits and interim reviews. “Next steps will be, as Senator Cyr said, to meet again to finalize what we want to have in the contract,” Hoffman said.

Susan Greendyke, the State House art curator, said the State House is preparing a collections app that will include interpretive labels and information about the works and artists when the busts are installed. The committee discussed whether didactic labels should indicate the subject’s age or other biographical details to provide historical context.

The committee will forward its recommendation to the full Senate, and staff will prepare a draft contract and guidance for the artists. The committee will reconvene as needed to review full-scale models and to provide feedback during the fabrication process.